Crying Like A Child
by Kuro-Cha'Nay'Nay
Summary: /TRIBAL AU, ONESHOT./ Eren has had intense romantic feelings for his tribe's healer, Levi, for about five summers. After being persuaded by his sister and best friend, Eren makes the decision to pull Levi aside and tell him everything. But the problem is-healers aren't allowed to have mates. Crushed by Levi's cold rejection, Eren runs off to commit suicide. FULL SUMMARY INSIDE


**Hey all! This is something I came up with back in May, but I somehow forgot about it and didn't get around to finishing it until now. It has riren yaoi (boy x boy) undertones of course, so if you're not into the ship or that type of stuff in general, feel free to leave before you get grossed out. If there's anything that I truly despise, it would be pointless ship hate. xD**

_**Full summary: (sorry, it couldn't fit on the front page.) ****Eren has had intense romantic feelings for his tribe's healer, Levi, for about five summers. After being persuaded by his sister and best friend, Eren makes the decision to pull Levi aside and tell him everything. But the problem is-healers aren't allowed to have mates. Crushed by Levi's cold rejection, Eren runs off to commit suicide. Despite the rules of tradition hanging over his head, can Levi come to terms with his true feelings and save Eren before time runs out? And even if he can, what will become of their relationship?**_

**Oh, and just a side note- **

**Summers = stands for years and moons = stand for months. You know, back in the stone ages they didn't use the terms years and months yet. x)**

**Warnings: Foul language and some violent and (minor) sexual imagery. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Eren clearly remembered the first day in which his infatuation with Levi had sprouted and grown out of control.

Just two days after Levi had been officially made the new tribe healer, Eren had fallen from a tree and broken his arm while playing with his sister, Mikasa. As any caring sister would, she helped Eren to Levi's den as fast as she could.

As soon as the two entered, Levi's eyes widened at the grotesque way in which Eren's arm had been twisted in. "...Eren? Mikasa? What the hell happened here?"

"Eren fell out of a tree while we were playing and messed up his arm." Mikasa growled, giving him a somewhat nasty stare. She had never liked Levi for a reason that Eren couldn't figure out.

Levi rolled his eyes, motioning for her to help Eren sit down on the grass tarp next to him. "I figured as much. Put him down here and I'll get his arm set."

Mikasa reluctantly did as she was told, looking back at her brother. "I'm gonna go tell ma what happened. I'll be back in a bit." Eren nodded, and a second later she was gone.

"Anyways. What the hell were you doing up there?" Levi questioned irritably, examining the boy's torn, bloody arm. "You know damn well that we live in an area with big ass trees. Falling from one can be fatal- you're LUCKY you only broke an arm!"

Eren smiled sheepishly, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "Mikasa was throwing rocks at me. I thought that if I climbed up there, she wouldn't be able to reach me."

"And that turned out fucking fantastically, now didn't it?" Levi chuckled sarcastically. He had no problem being vulgar around children. But Eren didn't mind- in fact, he couldn't help but smile, even as a bolt of pain shot up his arm from the healer popping it back into place. Although Levi often came off as cold and inappropriate to most, he enjoyed the man's humor and was often able to get a few glimpses of his softer side. Truthfully, he had always admired the man. Levi was twelve summers older than he was, and obviously more experienced in EVERYTHING. He could hunt extremely well, had great healing and spiritual skills, and was one of the better looking ones in his tribe.

And Eren loved it all.

"...But it's a shame, really." Levi murmured as he wrapped pasty gauze-like bark around Eren's arm and shoulder. "Huh?" Eren blinked.

"...Your arm will heal, but this gash will leave a large scar." Levi frowned, an odd, yet calm softness panning over his gaze. "No attractive young man such as yourself should have to bear something that ugly."

And with those words, Eren fell for him.

* * *

Fast forward five summers. Eren was now 15, and Levi 27.

He looked at the large, straight scar his left arm bore as he sadly reminisced.

_I wonder if it'll ever fade... Just like my feelings._

"Hey, Eren... You're zoning out again." His close friend Armin gently shoved him. "Come out, we have to go. Mikasa's waiting with our equipment."

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Eren muttered, turning to follow him outside their home territory.

_I can't let the tribe fucking starve just because I'm depressed, right?_

"Took you long enough." Mikasa growled, tossing a knife to Eren and a spear to Armin as they approached, keeping a bow and arrow to the side for herself. "It's just the three of us today. Everyone else is busy, so we've got to get in a lot of kills to feed everybody. Let's get a move on."

**_xxx(__All tribe members, even women, were expected to pull their weight in one way or another, whether it may be gathering, hunting, patrolling, etc.)xxx_**

Eren nodded irritably in agreement, slightly turning his head the other way. "I know, I know..." Mikasa raised an eyebrow, glancing at Armin. "What's his problem?" Armin shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I don't know. He's probably upset over Levi again."

"Shut up!" Eren scowled, jabbing the blonde in the rib. Mikasa sighed, motioning for them to get moving. "Whatever. Let's look for a good hunting spot."

The group walked for about ten or fifteen minutes in silence before Armin finally broke it.

"You know, Eren... You've been agonizing over this for years. Why don't you just tell him how you feel?" Armin pressed, succeeding in pissing off his friend even more.

"Armin. We've been through this I don't even know HOW many times." Eren snapped. "I would've a long time ago if it weren't for two fucking reasons. ONE, Levi is a healer. It's tradition that our healers can't have mates and children because any distraction can hinder their ability to do what they were born to, which is serve the tribe. And two, he's a _man_... Men can't be attracted to other men! If he found out I felt this way, he and the entire tribe would despise me!"

"I KNOW that, Eren, but you can't help who you're attracted to." Armin insisted. "Even if nothing comes out of it, isn't letting out your feelings the best option? And if anything, you'd still have us in the end. So who cares what anyone else thinks?!"

"But that's my entire fucking point! If I won't get anything out of it, why even bothe-"

"Shut up! I've got one!" Mikasa hissed, shoving Eren and motioning to a deer grazing a few yards away from them. Mikasa quietly walked up and crouched down behind a large boulder. Striking a graceful hunter's pose, she aimed with perfect poise and released the arrow.

As usual, her aim was impeccable. The arrow struck the deer in the throat. It let out a pained shriek before falling to the ground and struggling for a few seconds before it completely stopped moving.

Eren and Armin were in awe. "Wow... That was great... You've definitely improved." Eren complimented her.

Mikasa smirked at her brother before heading over to retrieve her kill. "Heh. Well maybe if you two got off your asses and actually DID something for once, you MAY eventually get as good as I am... Well... In about thirty summers."

Eren stuck his tongue out at her. "Whatever."

"Anyways, Eren... I really think you need to do _something_ about your problem." Armin pressed on. "You're only going to suffer more if you hold it in."

"Again. I am _well_ aware. But..." Eren trailed off.

"But WHAT?" Mikasa barked, dropping the carcass in front of Armin and heading closer to her brother. "What is the damn problem?"

"Are you two deaf?! Why do I have to keep repeating myself?!" Eren shouted, stamping his foot in irritation. "I CAN'T express my damn feelings! I don't WANT to be an outcast! But most of all, I don't-"

"Yes, you _can_. You're just too big of a little shit to face the consequences!" Mikasa snarled, grabbing Eren by the collar and shocking him silent. "How do you think it looks to other women and Levi that your own SISTER is more of a man than you are? Just WHAT is your goddamn excuse?"

"...I've already told you. More than anything, I don't want Levi to hate me. I don't think that I could live with that." Eren swallowed hard, his voice cracking.

Mikasa sighed, releasing her grip on his top. "Look. I know that may seem scary, but Armin and I are your family. If _anything_ happens, whether it may be with Levi or the entire tribe itself, we'll be here for you. Like Armin said, you need to do what's right for YOU and not worry about what anyone else thinks. You NEED to tell Levi how you feel, and soon."

"She's right. How about tomorrow?" Armin suggested, earning a horrified look from Eren. "TOMORROW?! Are you insane?! I need time to think this over!"

"Eren, you've had five years to think it over." Mikasa griped. "You need to get it off your chest."

"Here's an idea. How about you let him know later today that you need to talk to him later about something tomorrow?" Armin suggested. "That way he'll know that something is on your mind and you'll have a little time to think about what you want to say."

"I agree. Just get it over with, Eren. You'll feel better and we won't have to listen to your constant complaining anymore." Mikasa replied. Feeling pressured, Eren looked at Armin, then back at Mikasa and let out a deep sigh. "...Fine. I'll talk to him later."

"Great! But in all seriousness, we need to get back to work." Mikasa said. "I already got one kill, so you guys better pull your weight!"

"Yeah, yeah! But if anything happens with Levi, I'm blaming you two!" Eren threw his knife in a random direction out of sheer annoyance. To their surprise, it struck a squirrel that happened to be climbing a tree directly in its back, killing it instantly.

Eren blinked. "Wow... That was pretty lucky."

"It was! Maybe it's a sign that the spirits are on your side." Armin smiled. "Maybe you'll have good fortune?"

"Ha, I sure hope so." Eren grinned.

Her patience level hitting zero, Mikasa shoved them both towards the deeper brush. "Okay, enough talking! Back to hunting!"

"Okay, okay!"

* * *

The group ended up having a pretty successful hunting session. They came back with eight kills in total (five of them being done by Mikasa, to Eren's dismay and annoyance.)

"Thank the gods that's over." Eren breathed, dumping his kills onto the tribe's food pile. "I'm exhausted." Mikasa rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You barely did anything." Armin laughed. "Oh, come on, at least he tried."

"Excuse me, I barely saw YOU even move a muscle!"

Eren sighed, ignoring their bickering and turning to head back to his den to get some rest. "Oi, Eren!" The teen turned back, surprised to see Levi approaching him. "Uh, yes?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really. Just thought I'd say thanks for the kills you three brought back." Levi nodded towars the pile. "Now I can go to sleep with a full fucking stomach for once. It's getting colder and prey is becoming harder to find..."

"That's true..." Eren happened to glance back at Mikasa and Armin, who were deadest on motioning for him to "spit it out already!".

"Oh, and, um... Levi?" The man turned back to him. "What is it?"

"T-there's something important I'd like to speak to you about. Do you think we could meet sometime tomorrow and talk?" Eren stammered, nervously picking at a loose nail.

Levi raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Oh? Well if it's so important, why the hell wait? Why not just tell me whatever's on your mind now?"

"Well, I, uh..." Eren hadn't expected that answer. Levi noticed that he was struggling to put whatever it was into words, so he figured that he'd just let it go for now.

"...Forget it. Let's just meet in the middle of the day. We'll talk over a meal." Levi replied, eying him curiously. "You look tired. It's getting dark... It would probably be best for you to get some sleep."

"Y-Yeah, you're right, I was planning on it." Eren sputtered awkwardly, bowing respectfully before quickly walking away. "H-have a good night.."

Levi stared after him for a few seconds before shaking his head and turning to head back to his own quarters. "I wonder what's gotten into him...?"

* * *

"Levi? I'm here." Eren poked his head in the healer's den. To his complete and utter annoyance, two tribeswoman, Petra and Annie, were hovering over him as he appeared to be cooking some sort of meat over a small fire. Levi looked up, motioning for him to come over and take a seat. "Ah, Eren. C'mere. I'm just preparing some food now." Eren reluctantly stepped forward and unwillingly took a seat near where the women were standing.

"Wow, you're really good at cooking, Levi~." Petra cooed, draping her arms over his shoulders. "Yeah, I agree." Annie added, resting her head on a free section of his shoulder. "You should teach Petra and I sometime~"

The way they were talking and throwing themselves on Levi made Eren want to gag. Most of the tribeswomen had a thing for Levi, and frankly, he couldn't blame them, but these two were clearly just here to kiss his ass in hopes of getting some action. And he resented it.

To his relief, Levi seemed indifferent to their advances. "It's nothing, really. Any idiot can learn how to start a fire and cook some food."

"Ooh, he's so cold~" Petra and Annie giggled to each other. "It's strangely attractive, isn't it?"

With every word that came out of their mouths, Eren was becoming increasingly jealous and angry. This was his day, dammit, and he wasn't going to let some desperate girls ruin it!

"Okay, we get it! That's enough!" Eren snapped, recieving looks of surprise from the girls. Even Levi raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"Get out of here, you stupid whores! I have something important I need to talk to Levi about, and I don't need you two hanging all over him while I do so!" Eren shouted. "Are we clear?"

The girls glanced at each other in surprise, and then turned back to Eren, both flashing him a pair of nasty looks. "Ugh, whatever. Who would wanna be around a little shit like you, anyway? Let's go. We'll be back soon, Levi~." Petra replied, as cheery as ever. The two stared Eren down until they had made their way out of the den.

"...What was that all about? Sure, they may be a pain in the ass, but you and I BOTH know that it's wrong to talk to women like that." Levi said in a stern tone, turning the meat with a stone utensil. "It's rather unsightly."

"...So... You're not into them?" Eren questioned. He surprised Levi yet again, causing the man to stop what he was doing for a brief moment and stare at him in confusion.

"...? No way. Annie is disgusting and her nose is too goddamn big for her face. And Petra is attractive, I guess, but she's incredibly annoying. And that hair... Yeesh. Obviously. And you know the code, Eren. Even if I was interested, going with somebody is absolutely forbidden. I have no business even LOOKING at any women."

Eren had to casually put his hand over his mouth to keep from exploding with laughter. First he was being told that it was improper to talk down on women, and yet a second later the healer was insulting them behind their backs. Typical Levi.

Levi looked down in the bowl, satisfied with the browned meat. "Oh, good. Looks like it's done. I cooked up some of that deer from yesterday." He slapped a piece in another stone bowl and pushed it towards Eren. "Eat. Tell me what you think."

"Uh, alright..." Eren was so nervous that he didn't even WANT to eat, but Levi was eying him in such a way that he was afraid that he would be slaughtered for NOT consuming something that he had prepared.

The meat being freshly cooked, it was still very hot to the touch, but Eren beared with it. Ignoring the stinging pain in his hand, he scooped it up and took a bite. As with all of Levi's cooking, it tasted great.

"Well? How is it? Is it too burnt?" Levi pressed. Eren shook his head. "No, no, it tastes good... No, it's great."

The older man relaxed a bit. "...Good. I always worry when preparing meat... Each person likes it cooked to a different degree... Anyways. To the point."

Levi sat up, legs and arms crossed, his attention fully focused on Eren. "What the hell was it that you wanted to speak to me about? You were acting awfully weird yesterday."

Eren felt the nervousness building up in his stomach once more. "Well, um... You said you have no business looking for mates or anything... But you HAVE looked at women, right?"

Levi blinked, taking a bite of the deer. "...Well, of course I've found certain people attractive, but it's not my place to pursue them. What is this about, Eren?"

But Eren ignored his question. "So you say that you have no business pursuing women, but... What about men?" He sucked in a breath, waiting nervously for Levi's answer.

Levi almost instantly grew visibly uncomfortable. It was now HIS turn to ignore Eren's question. "You didn't ANSWER me, Eren... What is this about?" The man's sharp, angry gaze struck a chord of fear inside Eren.

"Well... Uh, I..."

"Just spit it it OUT, dammit!" Levi shouted. "Despite what you may think, I actually do NOT have all day. You know, with my job of saving lives and shit."

"I-I'm in love with you, Levi!" Eren nearly yelled, squeezing his eyes shut and hanging his head in fear, anticipation and shame as he finally let out what he had been holding inside for years.

There were a few long seconds of completely dead silence until Levi finally spoke up.

"...Why?" Eren slowly lifted his head in surprise. "What?"

"You heard me." Levi replied coldy. His expression had returned to the usual, vacant and unwavering one that Eren had grown so accustomed to. "Tell me why. Why you feel that way. What is it that you want from me?"

Eren just gave up and just let it all pour out.

"At first, I really admired you when I was little. I wanted to be just like you... You were everything I wanted to be. I didn't really understand it at the time, but I loved everything about you. Everything that you did. All your little habits and quirks. Your rude sense of humor. Your habit of wanting everything to be perfection. Your looks. But most of all, I really liked...how... I was one of the few people who could see through your outer attitude and get a glimpse of the real you, your softer side. You may act like an ass at times, but you're actually very kind. That's why you became a healer, because the spirits knew that you had that compassion in you. You WANTED to help others."

Eren gingerly rubbed the scar on his arm. "Do you remember when I broke my arm and my sister brought me in? You told me that it was a shame that an attractive kid such as myself had to be cursed with such an ugly scar. It was at that moment that I totally fell for you. I don't know what you meant by it... If you were just being nice or if you genuinely thought I was good looking... But either way, it touched me. On top of everything else, that's what got me. You were kind. You were my idol. You were perfect...well to me, at least, and that's the man I fell in love with!"

Eren cried, hanging his head once more. "I've been holding all of this in for five summers... I just needed to tell you... So please... I know you have your duties as a healer, uhh... Just please... Don't hate me. I'm so sorry..."

There was another long silence, minus Eren's sobs. Again, it was broken by Levi.

"...That's a lot coming from someone _your_ age." Levi replied, almost in a mocking tone. "Look at me."

Eren slowly looked up at his superior, tears still running down his cheeks. He was met with Levi's usual cold, gray stare.

"...I fucking knew it. You always were an odd little shit, well, mostly around me. While I was suspicious, I never thought you'd actually come clean."

Eren sniffled loudly. "I-I..." Levi scowled at his puffy, wet face. "You're hideous when you cry, so stop it." To Eren's astonishment, Levi reached forward and pulled him into a warm hug. "Just shut up, okay?"

Eren stopped crying almost immediately. He let his eyelids droop shut as he soaked in the older man's warmth. He couldn't resist snaking his arms around Levi's waist and deepening the hug. Still, his surprise was greater than his happiness. He had never seen Levi be affectionate with ANYONE, nor had he ever thought that HE would be the one in that position.

"Truthfully, to answer your question, I suppose I've never been interested in one specific gender." Levi spoke softly. "I've always seen everyone as an equal... And then you came along."

"...Huh?"

"Yes. You've always intrigued me. I've always been watching you. You were such a bright child. No matter how many times you fell on your ass or your sister showed you up, you got back up every time, determined to be better than everyone." The beginnings of a smirk crossed Levi's lips. "And as we both got older, I couldn't help but wonder, if I were able to take a mate, would I have pursued you? Or would I have been shunned for being attracted to a man? Again, I was in no position to make that decision for myself, so I gave up on the whole idea. And so, I DID genuinely mean it when I said you were attractive... But all of that doesn't matter now."

To Eren's sadness and disappointment, Levi roughly pushed him backwards and turned away. "I don't have any hatred for you at all. I appreciate you having the balls to express your feelings to me, and if the circumstances were different, I would consider going with you. But they're not, and things have to remain the way they are. We simply coexist in the same tribe, and that's all it's going to ever be. I'm sure you understand."

"I know, but..." Eren bit his lip and clenched his fist. "It's not fucking fair..."

Levi turned back towards him, narrowing his eyes in warning. "Are you really doing this? _Stop it_."

But Eren completely ignored him and began to shake and stomp around as if he were a child. "WHY can't healers have mates? WHY? Do the spirits ENJOY dangling you in front of me as if I was a starving dog begging for my next meal? I will NEVER accept these rules! Ever!" His shouts turned to overwhelming sobs as he staggered towards Levi, arms outstretched.

"Please... Don't do this.."

"Eren. Calm the fuck down. Get out of he-"

But Eren inched closer, attempting to wrap his arms around the healer. "Hold me-"

"I SAID get the FUCK out!" Levi bellowed, violently pushing him to the ground. "Have you gone INSANE? Do you not understand my words, you blithering idiot?!" He spat vicious insults at the now terrified Eren, who was seemingly glued to the dirt floor in shock.

"Leave." The healer's voice lowered to a dangerously quiet tone as he lifted a shaking hand and pointed to the den's exit. "No means NO. We are _done_ here." It took a few moments for Eren to register Levi's request. As he slowly pulled himself up off the ground, his shock and sorrow turned to rage once more.

"Fine." He snarled, shooting Levi the most menacing look he could muster, "-but I REFUSE to live like this!" With that, he darted out of the den in his wretched state before Levi even had a chance to reply.

Mikasa was utterly surprised to see Eren running from Levi's den as fast as he could, so fast that he didn't seem to notice her yelling at him to stop and she actually had to jump in front of him and cut him off. Her worry only intensified when she saw that Eren's face was red, puffy and swollen from crying.

"My god, Eren, what happened?! Did he hurt you?!" She shouted, turning her head to the side and gritting her teeth to keep herself from exploding. "I always KNEW there was something off about that guy. I swear... I'll kill him on the spot!"

But Eren shook his head in response. "N-no, Mikasa... Don't. It's not what you think. We talked, that's all, and... I didn't like what he had to say. "

"Well what is it that he SAID? You know I'll-" But Eren cut her off. "Just... stop. I can't deal with this right now... I just don't know anymore. " With that, he turned to walk away towards the clearing's exit while wiping his eyes.. "I'm going for a walk… I need to clear my head. " Mikasa could only stare after him in utter confusion. As much as she wanted to follow him and try and get some answers, she knew that it really, really wasn't her place to at the moment.

_What happened, Eren…?_

She stood still for a few moments, now agonizing over what actions to take. I know Eren doesn't want me to bring it up, but I'm his sister and I HAVE to do something... Even if it's just questioning the bastard... Whatever happened... I know that Eren doesn't deserve it!" With that, she walked away, pondering what to say to her brother's apparent attacker.

* * *

Meanwhile, Levi had tried to keep his mind off of Eren's reaction by hastily straightening up his den. For a clean freak like him, it was a menial task that took only a few minutes to complete.

It was starting to get late. No one had come in with any signs of illness or visible wounds, so he decided that his work was done for the day.

Feeling mentally exhausted, he decided that a nap would probably relieve some of his worry. Where was Eren now? Had he been too hard on the kid? And why wass it _affecting_ him so badly? Levi shook his head in confusion and shut his eyes. But as soon as he he laid down and drifted off into unconsciousness，he found himself being thrust into a vivid dream of the spirit world.

Levi was highly alarmed when he opened his eyes and found himself in the lush, green clearing where he was usually greeted by spirits. Why in the hell was he here? It was very, very rare that he would be called into the spirit world without him first initiating any contact.

To put it bluntly, this only ever happened when he was to be notified of iminent danger.

"There you are..." A soft, feminine voice evhoed from behind him. Upon turning around, Levi was utterly surprised to see the tall silhouette of his mother slowly gliding towards him. Even in her ghostly form, she was eerily beautiful. A female version of Levi, you could say. She was one of those rare souls that as attractive in both life and death.

"...Mother? You called me here?" Levi questioned, exasperated. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

"You know full well what the issue is." The spirit said softly and sternly. "That boy, Eren... He has a hole in his heart. And it's because of _you_."

"...Mother, forgive my disrespect, but... You can't blame me for the way he feels." Levi growled. "I can't change his mindset. He needs to realize that rules are rules. I simply told him that I can't claim him as my own because of my position as a healer. And as much as I may want to change that... I can't."

"'...My foolish son. You are so intelligent yet you often overlook the most important of details." She muttered, catching Levi off guard once more. "You know why I'm here. We rarely assault your dreams like this without warning unless a horrible event is foretold in your future. The last words he spoke to you before leaving. He said that he refused to live in his current state. What do you think he'll do?"

"I... I don't..." Levi was barely able to get a word in edgewise before he was blindsided by a startling vision.

_A foggy place outside the tribes territory. A cliff. A place known to the tripe as Wayward's cliff, to be exact. Directly under, a ravine filled with jagged rocks and thick thorned plants. Eren crying profusely. Eren standing at the edge. He jumps. He hits one of the jagged rocks below with a sickening thud. Bones cracking. Skin tearing. Blood dribbling down the rocks. A torn, mangled corpse is all that's left._

Levi let out a shriek as a final image of Eren's bloody, lifeless face frozen in a final sorrowful expression raced through his mind. He fell to his knees, gagging and nearly vomiting at what he had just seen. "W-what the f-" The spirit hovered over him, a saddened look shadowing her transparent face. "Levi, I'll ask you this. Have any real consquences of a healer taking a mate ever been established, or from what I remember, were you raised by your superiors to simply just believe that it was wrong? When I was there for you, I certainly never forced those ideas on you."

"What are you talking about?!" Levi spat, still in shock. "If I took a mate, I'd be banished from the tribe! I'd never have any spiritual contact again! You should know that!

"Untrue. We spirits are indifferent to what the healers do, just as long as they can remain focused on their duties." She continued. "The idea of you not being allowed to have a mate, - female OR male - because of "ancient tradition" is absurd. Ideas such as these were created to cater to the leaders' needs. The first leader implemented this rule because at the time, the woman that he had feelings for chose to become the mate of the healer instead of him. It's basically one of those instances where one person with power gets the idea of "well, if I can't be happy, NO ONE will be happy" sort of thing and ruins it for everyone. And it's been that way ever since. I'm surprised you weren't made aware by this point."

Levi stared at her blankly. "I... I truly had no idea."

"Well now you know. Remember, change is crucial in many instances. Don't be afraid to attempt to bend the laws around you." She let out a deep, airy sigh and waved her son away. "All that aside, the boy doesn't have much time left. As soon as you wake up, go after him. He needs you."

* * *

Within a few moments, Levi had snapped back into reality. He as surprised to find that what had seemed only like a few minutes had apparently lasted the entire night. Bright sunlight shown through the den entrance, which was followed by a chilly breeze. Levi had been awake for no more than a few seconds when an infuriated Mikasa came charging through into the den. "Alright, shithead, what on earth did you do to my brother that made him so upset?!" Mikasa yelled. "He went for a walk last night and he hasn't come back yet. Now what the hell are you going to do about it?!"

S_o my mother wasn't exaggerating._ Levi shuddered, turning back to Mikasa and ignoring her initial question. "Mikasa, listen. Eren is in serious danger. We need to get going. My mother came to me in a dream last night and showed me a vision. If we don't get to Eren in time, he'll throw himself off of Wayward cliff."

"He'll _kill_ himself?!" Although she was still fuming, Mikasa was surprised to see an overwhelming look of guilt appear on Levi's face. Something she'd never seen him express before.

"And all...because of what I said. I didn't think he would take it this far." Levi choked. It obviously pained him to admit his wrongdoing. A second later, he had returned to normal and was already outside of the den and running towards the village exit. "Mikasa, grab Armin- ugh, just grab WHOEVER you think will be able to return Eren to his senses and come on. We don't have much time!"

"O-Okay!" Now frantic, Mikasa rushed to the den that Armin resided in, making so much noise that she not only woke up the blonde but the six others that also lived there. "Armin, get up!" Mikasa yelled, pulling the boy to his feet and ignoring the irritated whines of his denmates. Armin was visibly shaken as Mikasa pulled him outside.

"W-what's going on? Why so early-"

"Eren is in danger. We have to find him before he hurts himself!" Mikasa insisted, pulling the boy as hard as she could as she chased after Levi. "Come on, I'll explain along the way!"

* * *

Eren took one slow step after another, feeling miserable and dehydrated from all of the crying he had been doing throughout the entire night. He had gotten lost quite a few times because of his condition, making the path to his destination much more difficult than it should have been. And so, he was relieved to finally see the infamous cliff enter his field of view.

_Finally. Fucking finally._

Despite his weak state, he forced himself to walk faster until he was near the edge of the cliff. He peered over the edge, seemingly unafraid of what he saw below. The ravine was large, deep and eerie looking. Jagged black rocks were sticking out everywhere. The areas that weren't covered by the deadly rocks were engulfed by huge thorned thickets that would undoubtedly be very painful to the touch. But Eren paid no mind.

_Five years..._ He chuckled internally, stepping closer to the edge. _Five years of my insignificant life wasted, swooning over that man_. His internal chuckling quickly became external, psychotic cackles escaping from his lips. _And now I can finally end that pain-_

"EREN!" Startled by the familiar voice, the boy turned around, utterly surprised to see Levi standing a few feet away, arm outstretched towards him, with Mikasa and Armin close behind.

"Eren..." Levi was panting heavily, clearly out of breath, a wide eyed, out of character look plastered on his face. "We're here now. Don't do this."

Eren shot him a menacing glare in return, along with a pained chuckle. "Really? You were so quick to send me away, and now that I'm gonna take drastic measures, you're trying to get me to come back without a fight? I- I don't think so." His sudden strong demeanor turned back to the weak and pathetic attitude from the previous afternoon.

"W-Why should I have to feel like this?" Eren whimpered, stepping dangerously close to the cliff's edge. "I don't care if I sound dramatic, I told you, I don't want to live like this. I told you my feelings and you acted like they were nothing. Screw you!"

Levi growled irritably. "Eren, I wasn't pushing you away! I was telling you that the rules wouldn't allow-" His mothers words suddenly echoed in the back of his mind, and Levi remembered that in reality, those rules really meant nothing.

"You know what? Forget it. You were right!" Levi cried, startling Eren. "I had a spiritual vision last night. That's how I knew you'd be here attempting to take your own life. The person in that vision, my mother, also explained to me that some of the things that we believe in are not as we seem. Such as this one specific "rule"... the one we're so conflicted about right now."

To Levi's relief, Eren seemed to calm down a slight bit. "Wait, you mean...?"

"Yes." Levi replied urgently, motioning for him to come over. "Now come ov-"

"You and I.. Could be together if we wanted to?" Eren asked quietly.

"Yes, yes. Now get the hell over here. You're going to fall." Levi was more focused on getting Eren away from the edge instead of his responses, which were crucial at this point.

Eren frowned and turned away. "I don't believe you. Why should I? You don't seem serious at all... You're probably just making it all up as we spea-"

"Shut it, Eren, he isn't!" Mikasa interjected, causing the three to look back at her in surprise.

Levi blinked, astonished that Mikasa, whom he knew hated him with a passion, was standing up for him. "Mikasa..."

The girl turned to look at him. "He may be a cold, callous ass at times, but even I can tell that he cares about you in his own way. Why ELSE would he be here trying to stop you from doing this?"

"Well that's obvious. He knows that if I die it'll seem like it's HIS fault, and he doesn't want to be blamed for it!" Eren spat, causing Levi to flinch. Levi rarely let other people's opinions get to him, but this one shook him right to his core. And it hurt.

"Just stop already! You know that's not true!" Mikasa cried, tears welling up in her eyes. "Can you quit being selfish for just one moment and thing about what effects the things that you do will have on others?!"

"Yeah, Eren. If you die, what will we have? We'll have to live every day for the rest of our lives knowing that you ended your life and we couldn't save you." Armin whimpered. "I don't know what I'd do without you. What Mikasa would do. You're our best friend. Please, please don't throw yourself away like this."

Eren was shocked into silence. Seeing an opportunity, Levi took a few steps forward and looked it him right in the eye. "You know, Eren... It really fucking hurts that you don't have any faith in me. It says a shitload about your personality, too. What fucking idiot falls in love with a guy that would save your life just to save his own ass? Come on, now."

Eren blinked guiltily. "Levi..."

"Like your sister said, we came here for you._ I_ came here for you... Because despite what you may think, I care. I really do." Levi continued, observing the astonished look on Eren's face. "You know why I became interested in you in the first place. It was your determination that struck me. You never gave up. And look at you know, about to give up just because you got your sorry ass in a bind. That is NOT the kid I admired. THAT Eren... Is the one that I WANT and that I wish to save."

Their sudden confessions made Eren break down crying all over again, causing him to fall to his knees. "Y... You guys... I-I was so selfish... I'm so sorry...Levi..." For the first time ever, Levi cracked a small smile as he headed over to Eren, his arm extended once more. "Alright, get up. You and I have some explaining to do, now don't we?" Seeing the rare look on Levi's face made Eren so happy that he grinned wildly and began to blush. "O-okay!"

But as soon as Eren stood up to take Levi's hand, the horrific happened.

The small of rock that Eren had been standing on gave way, causing him to topple off the edge. "NO-!" Levi howled, diving to grab Eren's hand at the last second.

He missed. By a few fatal inches.

Eren let out a mortified shriek as he fell, his hand still outstretched with the desperate hope that Levi still might be able to save him.

Levi fell flat on his stomach, Armin and Mikasa quickly scrambling up behind him and pulling him up just in time before he fell to his own demise. The three could only watch in horror as Eren catapulted towards the ground and landed on one of the rocks with a large *crack* that echoed throughout the ravine.

All hell broke lose. Mikasa started screaming bloody murder. Armin threw up over the edge. But Levi, oh, Levi could only stare at the mangled body that lay below. Poor Eren's limbs were twisted in unnatural directions. He could see pure white bits of bone jutting out of both legs. Dark, crimson blood trickled down the rocks from under Eren's head and mutilated legs.

"W... We need to go down there." Levi rasped, turning back to his two traumatized tribe mates. "We have to get him out of that fucking hellhole."

"What's the _point_?!" Mikasa whined hysterically. "He's dead, my brother is fucking dead, after all of that..."

"It doesn't matter... We have to. We owe it to him." Levi croaked mournfully, peering back down at Eren. After receiving no response from either of them, he let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, be fucking useless. I'll get him myself. You two go get help... We're going to need it."

After finally getting the two to head back off to the village. Levi began to look for a way down into the ravine. A short while later, he managed to find one. It took a hell of a lot of effort to avoid the barbed brush without getting seriously hurt.

At last, he made his way down to Eren's body. Now that he was alone, he found it to be the right time to empty himself of his sorrow. He pulled the teen into his arms, crying like a child and burying his head in his neck. Not only was Levi traumatized over what ad just happened, but this was the first time he had truly cried like this over anyone. He hadn't even cried this much over his own mother. Hell, he never knew he was capable of _really_ crying to begin with.

"Fuck, Eren, fuck fuck fuck." Levi choked, his tears muffled by Eren's clothing. "I was right there. I was right there, and I let you fucking die. What the fuck did I do wrong? I changed your fate, and yet... It should be ME laying around all pathetic and mangled like this, not YOU. I am a real piece of shit, huh? And only NOW I realize that I should've just asked you to be mine... I was so stupid. _None_ of this would have fucking happened, dammit!"

And then, Eren coughed. Levi jolted upwards, wondering if he was hallucinating from shock. There's no way he could've heard a cough. Eren was-

But sure enough, Eren's body began to tremble violently. His eyes shot open as he spat up a huge blood clot, followed by an enormous shriek of pain.

"No way. No fucking way." Levi sprung into action, tearing a piece of fur from his clothing and wiping the leakage from the teen's mouth. He grabbed Eren by the face and stared into his eyes in pure shock. "But _how_? You were ONLY unconscious? There's no fucking WAY you could have survived that! And yet, you..." Eren weakly looked up, and to Levi's astonishment, he spoke to him.

"You...wrote me...off... too...easily..." Eren grinned sheepishly, trying his best to ignore the pain.

And with that, Levi was smitten. "I don't know how you survived this, but you did. Eren, you're fucking incredible." He grabbed Eren by the chin and roughly kissed him, momentarily forgetting about his condition until Eren squeaked in pain. Levi instantly pulled away. "Shit, I'm sorry." Despite his decrepit state, Eren managed to break a smile and even appeared to be blushing before murmuring some nonsense and ultimately passing out in Levi's arms.

* * *

Eren awoke in Levi's den two days later. At first, he was completely and utterly disoriented, which was to be expected. He had no idea where he was. As he thrashed about in confusion, it came as an even bigger shock to him when he realized that he couldn't move without causing himself serious pain. "What the-?!"

"Whoa! Eren, calm down!" Levi snapped, pinning him to the ground as gently as possible. "It's alright, you're back in my den. You don't have to worry anymore. But you can't be moving around like that. I set your broken bones back in place, and it's going to take a while for you to recover. If you make any sudden movements, you could easily reopen all of your wounds."

Bewildered, Eren looked down at his body, noticing that all four limbs were encased in a plaster-plant like substance. They felt so heavy that it was pretty hard to move in general. "Oh.."

Levi stared down at him with pure concern, gently rubbing his head. "Are you alright? How badly does it hurt?"

Eren blinked, looking around in all directions to compensate for his lack of movement. "Actually.. I'm not in as much pain as I thought I'd be... It's more of a numb feeling right now. Oh, where's my sister?! And Armin?"

"What's with all the concern? They're fine. I sent them off to find you some food. They should be back in a bit." Eren let out a sigh of relief. "Good."

Levi quietly scowled to himself, attempting to tidy up his now very messy living area. "You DO realize that I've been cleaning up your blood, shit and piss for the past two days when you were knocked out, right? And that I'm going to have to continue doing it until you're fully healed? You're lucky I love you." Eren was surprised at his sudden choice of words. "Um, what was that?"

Levi turned to glare at him. "I said I loved you. Is that a problem?" Eren smiled. "No... I just never thought I'd hear you say anything like that to me, that's all. It makes me feel... really good." His eyes lit up as he remembered a crucial detail. "Oh, uh, by the way... Everyone obviously knows about, well, um..."

"Us. Yeah, they do." Levi replied briskly. "But you don't have to worry. I already had a looooong discussion with the chief. Of course he was initially outraged, but I made it clear that if anything was done to try and come between us by ANYONE, he could kiss my ass goodbye and enjoy finding another healer and training them by himself for five years." He chuckled. "His face was white as a cloud. But anyways, yeah, I'd say they're pretty fucking accepting at this point."

"I just... can't believe that all of this has actually happened. I'm...so lucky to have you. There's no other place I'd rather be." Eren replied genuinely, causing the older man to turn back to him. "I've loved you for years, but I still don't know what you see in me. I'm sorry that I'm such a pain in the ass right now... You shouldn't have to do any of this."

Before Eren could utter another words, Levi was at his side and hovering over him. "Are you fucking deaf or something? We've been over this like, three times. I'm into you because you're a tough little shit, that's why. You ARE my responsibility because it was MY fault that you almost splattered your guts all over the ravine." He leaned down and lightly pecked Eren on the cheek. "You may be a useless pain in the ass, but you're MY useless pain in the ass. I'll gladly clean up your shit and piss any day."

This made Eren laugh so hard that he got a wicked jolt of pain in his chest. "Ow... Well, aren't YOU romantic."

"You know it." Levi smirked, suggestively running a finger across Eren's sensitive stomach. "Oh... And I AM going to be expecting some compensation for all of my hard work once you're well..." Eren shivered and turned his head to the side in an attempt to hide his reddening cheeks. "A-aha... I figured."

* * *

_Three moons later-_

For the most part, the village was relatively quiet. A cold winter had set in, giving many of the tribesmen and women an excuse to stay huddled up in their warm dens. The only two outside at the moment where Mikasa and Armin, who were trekking through the thick snow to visit Eren. For the most part, Eren was completely healed, minus a bad limp and the occasional head pain. Even though he was no longer in need of any medical care, he had chosen to move into Levi's den so he could bond more effectively with the older man.

"Those two sure have gotten a lot closer lately." Armin remarked, frowning as a bit of snow made its way into his seemingly poorly made footwear. "I mean... They're always _all over _each other."

Mikasa shrugged as she made her way closer to the den. "Yeah, I've noticed. But at least they're-" She froze in her tracks a few feet away from the entrance when she heard two distinct sounds. Eren moaning loudly, seemingly in pain. Levi grunting angrily.

Armin blushed in embarrassment immediately when he realized what was going on, instantly tugging on Mikasa's arm in an attempt to pull her back. "Uhh, Mikasa, we should go. This isn't our business...!" But Mikasa angrily tore her arm away. "What is wrong with you?! It sounds like he's hurting Eren! I have to stop him!"

"No! It's not what you-" But Mikasa had already ran forward and torn the cloth aside that was covering the den entrance, and naturally, she was mortified at what she saw. The two laying in the center of the den completely naked. Levi straddling a clearly aroused and sweaty Eren. They both turned to look at Mikasa in sheer horror. After their eyes had met for only a few seconds, Levi began yelling at the top of his lungs.

"What the FUCK are you doing in here?! Don't you think we deserve some _privacy_?" Experiencing more embarrassment then he'd ever felt in his life, Eren squeezed his eyes shut and tried his best to hide under Levi in hopes that he would disappear somehow as the man practically shouted his own head off.

'"GET OUT!"

It didn't take long for a traumatized Mikasa to run outside. "I was TRYING to tell you about what was going on, but you wouldn't listen!" Armin snapped. "It's your own fault for blindly rushing in there in the first place! Why was it your first instinct to automatically assume that Eren was being attacked?! Isn't it common sense to assume that they'd be having sex? They ARE together!"

But Mikasa simply shook her head and ignored Armin's interjections. "I don't care, I don't care! All I know is that I never want to see a naked man ever again. I would much rather be curled up in my bedding right now and just forget that this happened. Alright? Alright." And with that, she turned and speed walked away as fast as the snow covered ground would allow her to.

Armin had been left alone for no longer than five seconds when the moaning started up again. The blonde let out a massive sigh and facepalmed in defeat.

_It was going to be a loooong winter._

* * *

**Ahh, well that was a pain in the ass to write, but I'm overall pretty satisfied with the way it turned out. Anybody spot the Mulan reference, lol? ;P I re-watched both movies the other night and I got an idea to include one of the lines from the movie in one scenario out of nowhere, so I thought what the hell. xD And I originally thought about including a lemon, but I got writer's block and had no idea how to incorporate it so I gave up. -_-**

**Anyways. Did you like it? Do you have any criticisms? Anything I can improve on? Was it too ooc? Did you like how I ended on a more humorous note, or should it have been different? Pleeease go easy on me, that's all I ask lol. I haven't written anything this lengthy (yes, for me this is lengthy) in a while. Reviews are greatly appreciated as always. Thanks for reading. :)**


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